Many people prefer to or, because of medical conditions must, sit on a sofa or couch or in a chair while conducting various household and personal activities such as eating, drinking, writing, using a telephone, watching television, listening to music, writing, etc. The sofa is usually the centerpiece of a room or home and many residents prefer to relax in a central area in the residence so they do not have to adjust their location to observe various events.
Because sofas, couches and chairs are frequently used, whether by choice or by necessity, most people concurrently engage in various activities while seated. Unfortunately, by their nature, virtually all sofas, couches and upholstered chairs have soft, pliable seating cushions as well as upholstered arms. Thus, while a user is sitting on a sofa, the user must place articles being used, such as food, drink, pens, paper, telephones, books, and electronic items, such as television or video cassette recorder remote controls either on the sofa cushion, or on a table adjacent to the sofa. The instances of spilled drinks, overturned dinner plates, lost pens, paper, books and electronic remote controls and overturned telephones are legion and are well within the experience of most people. These problems become quite acute and are potentially life-threatening where the user is of ill-health and limited in physical mobility. A need exists, therefore, for a convenient, easy-to-use, table or desk surface having available storage integral with the table or desk which is positionable over a sofa, couch or chair to provide a user with ready access to a myriad of stored items and provide a firm surface for stable retention of articles thereupon.
For many years, tables, which are used while sitting on a chair or sofa, have been available for purchase. Included within the current patent literature are many devices which are directed to the basic concept of a table that is used while sitting on a chair.
The Throm patent, U.S. Pat. No. 719,625, issued in 1908, discloses a shelf attachment for desks. The device attaches to an office desk and is intended to support a typewriter. The attachment can be lowered and folded into the space under the desk-top and between the legs of the desk, while still allowing space for the user's legs. The table surface horizontally pivots around an upright guide-rod and has a locking mechanism for retaining the shelf in position on the rod. The locking mechanism and a counterbalance hold the table surface in its vertical position. A second table surface pivots concentrically about the first table surface, allowing for easy rotational movement of a typewriter. Because this device must be placed next to the supporting legs of a piece of furniture, it does not engage around the furniture leg. Instead of resting on the ground and sliding around an existing sofa leg, this patent discloses a shelf which attaches to the side of a leg. This table surface cannot be positioned immediately above the sitting surface without an additional piece of furniture to support the attachment.
The Reay patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,457, issued in 1969, discloses an inflatable passenger restraint device having a generally C-shaped profile. While sitting on its base, the user slides his legs through the inflatable device and places his feet in the rectangular slot. The base rests on the seat cushion and a lap belt slides through the loops on the sides of the base. A shield extends from the base and over the user's lap. Instead of sliding underneath the seat and engaging around a seat cushion, this device is placed entirely on the top of the seat cushion with its top surface a distance from the seat cushion. The user must sit on top of the device's base and allow the top surface to wrap around the user's torso, thus restricting the user's movements.
The Waters patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,757, issued in 1978, discloses a speaker stand. The stand is formed of a lightweight moldable material, so that the resulting structure is sturdy. The stand includes a base with a mounting hub in its center and a cutout on one edge, a tilted upper surface with a mounting hub in its center and an elongated tubular shaft member connecting both hubs. Instead of connecting at the ends of the base and upper surface, the base and upper surface of this device are connected at their center point. An end connection would form a greater cavity so that the base could slide further under a sofa and a larger portion of the upper surface could rest immediately above the cushion. It would not be possible for the tilted upper surface of this device to completely rest superimposed in close proximity above a cushion.
The Maxwell patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,411, issued in 1984, discloses a multi-position student table. The uppermost surface of the table can be adjusted vertically and may be placed in a horizontal or sloping position. Two spaced vertical legs, with parallel horizontal feet that are perpendicular to the legs, extend from the body of the table. Between the uppermost surface and the legs is a shelf for storage of materials. The base and upper surface of this device are connected at their center point, instead connecting at the ends.
The Cauffiel patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,825, issued in 1994, discloses a TV table. The table contains a base plate that fits under a front leg and a back leg on one side of a chair. The base plate includes a narrow portion extending rearwardly from a wide portion. An upwardly-extending sleeve on the wide portion of the base plate receives a vertical post. Parallel walls extend upwardly from the wide portion of the base plate to form a magazine rack. A small table top is pivotally connected to the upper end of the post. The table top can be adjusted to a horizontal or tilted position. Because the device must emanate from the side of the couch or chair, the arms of the couch or chair restrict the table top from lowering against the cushion surface. The table top in this device is intended to rest above the user's legs, instead of sitting next to the table top. The wide portion of the base plate, with its magazine rack, restricts the extent to which the base plate may slide under the couch.
The foregoing patents indicate that while conventional tables exist, they each suffer from the principal disadvantage of having a base and upper surface connecting at a center point, thus limiting the base from sliding under a sofa. The present table contains important improvements and advances upon conventional tables by offering a structure having a C-shaped configuration which allows the base to slide underneath the sofa and the table top to be positioned in close proximity above the cushions. The present invention also optionally includes a bidirectional drawer, a hinged top with a recess therein, a shelving assembly, a table top extension and is made of components fabricated from easy-to-use materials, such as wood particle press-board, plywood, or molded plastics that can be easily assembled and broken down with minimum connecting hardware.